


Mind-Forged Manacles

by Who0psyDaisy



Category: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Voxman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:22:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22114063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Who0psyDaisy/pseuds/Who0psyDaisy
Summary: Written before the final.Venomous is chained inside his mind, trapped there by the darker version of himself.Loneliness can make the heart wander.I'm bad at decriptions but Venomous is trapped in his own mind and wants out. Plenty of angst.
Relationships: Lord Boxman/Professor Venomous
Comments: 4
Kudos: 77





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This was written before the finale aired, so it doesn't line up with canon. Also this fic is much older than my account here which is why there's a difference between the writing styles on this and my epithet erased fics.

It was dark inside his mind.

No matter how much he screamed or yelled, no one would hear him.

Stupid, he thought. I was stupid.

In a moment of blind desperation, sparked from the conscious power he felt when Shadowy Figure took over, he agreed to a deal.

He would get his powers back.

Despite his proud proclamation to his ex-partner and child – _his child_ – about not needing power to have power, he still felt the insecurities from all those years ago etch their way into his heart.

It didn’t help much when he saw the familiar purple sparks emitting from his son’s – _he had a son_ – hand.

But now he was here, his body being used as a puppet by a shadow, all his anxiety and worry and powerlessness personified, while he stood, bound into the darkness.

And he dragged KO in with him. KO, the sweetest kid on earth, the one who, despite being a hero and learning about his father being one of the deadliest supervillains, still wanted to spend time with him and learn more about what he did.

He didn’t deserve KO.

Or Fink.

He had lost track of how long he had been stuck here, but he knew for certain that he had missed her recorder recital. She had been working so hard for it as well, practicing it alongside him doing piano scales for weeks. He hoped she was handling it well. He knew how much she hated shadowy.

She had Boxman though, who he knew would have definitely gone, along with all his children. It was the one thing keeping him fighting. The two most important people in his life, his daughter and his husband getting hurt because of him. He had to save them, from shadowy, from T.K.O, from himself.

He tugged at the chains, the mind-forged manacles that imprisoned him. They wouldn’t budge, instead glowing a brighter, mocking purple as he tried harder.

 **“Give it up Venomous”** a low, gravelly voice hissed from behind him.

He jumped, and turned around as much as the chains would let him.

“Shadowy? What are you doing here?” he tried not to let his voice waver.

 **“Just passing through, I suppose.”** he circled around the man, like a predator circling its prey. **“Making sure you’re safe and sound.”**

As much as he hated talking to the shadow, he needed to know what was going on, for his own sake, as he had no view of the outside from wherever he was imprisoned.

“How are they?”

 **“You’re going to have to speak a little louder than that, Professor”** he cackled, mockingly.

“How are my family?” He almost yelled, flinching when Shadowy Figure’s expression darkened for a moment.

 **“Well the rat is still around, although I don’t know why.”** He rolled his eyes. **“TKO is wonderful, a delightful child, really”** he cackled again, the sounds echoing and bouncing off of the walls of the prison, enough to drown out Venomous’ reply.

“TKO isn’t my son” he murmured, relived that his children were somewhat okay. “What about Boxman?” He asked, louder, lifting his head higher.

The shadow paused, and floated around venomous again. **“That old fool? Long gone”**

“what?” his voice cracked. _Please no_ he thought.

**“We got rid of him.”**

“What do you mean?” despite his best efforts, his desperation came seeping through his voice and his eyes welled up.

 **“Don’t worry, it’s all been taken care of, we won’t be seeing him of his pathetic robots for a long while”** He smirked, showing of rows of deadly fangs.

“What did you do?”

**“What I had to.”**

Venomous collapsed to his knees, shaking.

 **“We don’t need him, Venomous.”** Shadowy figure started walking to wherever the exit was. **“He was a weakness we needed to cut.”**

He turned his head towards the sobbing man on the floor.

 **“You wanted this remember?** **_This is all your fault_**.”

He disappeared, leaving the grieving man alone again.

Everything was because of him.

It was dark inside his mind.

He didn’t try to scream or yell. No one would hear him.

He didn’t want them to.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Search and rescue.

You would think the loneliness and the darkness would be suffocating, but Venomous had long since accepted it.

At least in the mindscape he couldn’t disappoint anyone.

It’s dangerous to be alone with your thoughts, you know. Several studies and scientists have worked towards finding the consequences of solitary confinement, and one such effect was memory loss, or the current memories being warped in some way.

Maybe that was Shadowy Figure’s plan.

Make him believe in his family’s worthlessness, make him believe that no one cared. That everyone he had ever loved left because of him. No one is coming to save him, least of all himself. Strip him of all his hope. The small power he had left.

It was working.

He let out a dry sob, long since running out of tears. His only saving grace was that he didn’t need food or water in the mindscape.

After long exposure to isolation and solitary confinement, people tend to end up being averse to social interactions and prefer to be alone, even after the period of isolation is over.

A small part of him feared that it would happen to him, and that even if he did escape, he wouldn’t want to talk to Fink, KO or _Boxman_ again. The other part of him, the stronger, more hopeless part constantly told him that it didn’t matter. Shadowy was too strong, feeding off of this helplessness like a leech, draining venomous of any belief that he could break free. He wouldn’t see his family ever again.

That is also another symptom of prolonged isolation. Hopelessness.

The door, or whatever the entrance of the mind scape was called, opened with a hiss and a wave of cool air.

Venomous didn’t bother looking up. There was only one person who could possibly get in here, and he didn’t want to speak with him now. Nor ever.

“Professor Venomous?”

_Wait._

_That voice?_

Could it be- _No._ There wasn’t any possible way that it could be his partner. He was either going crazy and hearing things, or it was one of Shadowy’s tricks in order to leech more power from him.

He remained still, motionless, besides from the small jerk from hearing Boxman’s voice for the first time in forever.

“PV?” the voice called again, softer this time. It was accompanied by footsteps which sounded like they were coming closer. “I’m here to rescue you”

“Leave me alone, Boxman” He finally spoke up, his eyes somehow welling up again, the voice of his beloved like salt in an already painful wound. A reminder of something he would never get again. “I’m not worth it” His voice wavered.

A pair of feet came up to him, and they soon crouched down to see the face of a man who Venomous had missed so, _so_ much.

“Not to me, you’re not” He replied.

“I should be. I’ve done nothing but hurt you, hurt Fink, hurt _our family_.” He took a shaky breath. “Besides, you’re not powerful to stop him. _Me_.” The chains binding his hands behind his back seemed to glow a brighter shade of purple, bathing the room in a sickly glow.

“Maybe I’m not, but you are” Boxman took Venomous off guard, by launching himself at him and wrapping his arms tightly in a hug. “Venomous you are the strongest, and most powerful man I have ever met”

“You’re wrong” He quietly protested, not giving in to the hug he knew _couldn’t possibly be real_. “Look at me, I’m chained inside my own mind. _I’m weak_ ”. Despite this, the glow dimmed.

“And you’re still pulling through. PV, it’s like you said, you don’t need power to be powerful”

“I was lying”

“No, you weren’t. And I know you are going to beat shadowy because I believe in you. _I love you_ ”

The chains lost their glow entirely, and were now just a dull greyish purple.

“How do I know you’re not a trick?” Venomous whispered, giving in to his instincts and leaning his head on Boxman’s shoulder.

The smaller man ended the hug to a small whine of protest, and then kissed his partner, taking him by surprise.

The chains snapped, shattering into a million pieces.

Boxman broke away from Venomous, smiling as he watched him rub his wrists.

“Boxman, I-” he paused. “even after everything I did, you still want me?”

He smiled, and kissed him again.

_Everything is going to be okay._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to comment and kudos!! :D!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this ( https://kats-kreations.tumblr.com/post/187252138882/i-got-two-weeks-before-we-figure-out-the-whole) art by @Kats-Kreations ( https://tmblr.co/mMmTzFDS9hVlEnf6saPrvfA )


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